need a little advice

[da_clicks]

Hello everyone,

I have only posted a few times, but have found this board to be very resourceful. Thanks to all.

Currently, we are running keywords in a niche industry with not too many competitors. We have stayed on the minimum 5 cent max cpc bidding and we drive nice traffic (our traffic converts at a low rate because lots of visitors are info seekers).

I want to maximize the number of clicks I can generate by raising our cpc. Since I haven't ever raised it above 5 cents/click, what do you recommend as the best way to test the impact raising the CPC will have on the total number of clicks?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[storevalley]

what do you recommend as the best way to test the impact raising the CPC will have on the total number of clicks?

Raise the CPC and monitor the total number of clicks ;)

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious ...

[Robsp]

Use the traffic estimator to see what impact you may have in terms of traffic and also bear in mind that increasing your max CPC means that your avg CPC will likely be lower.

Whether traffic will increase greatly depends on your current position and the quality of your creative. If you position is already between 2 and 3 traffic is not likely to go up very much. If its 5-7 then more traffic is very likely.

My 2 cts.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

To the above, I'd add that when you are experimenting with higher Max CPC, it's wise to protect yourself from unexpected expense by making sure that your daily budget is set to a comfortable level.

AWA

[Robino]

Do not rely on AdWords' "EStimate Traffic" feature. Their forecasts are usually way off of on the cost per day and average position estimates.

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Oh.

I'd also add that you can give each keyword in an Ad Group it's own unique Max CPC (not to mention Destination URL).

This way you can support your most important keywords with the right amount of money, and work them toward the desired postion on the page.

How? See here:

[adwords.google.com...]

AWA

[vibgyor79]

>>> our traffic converts at a low rate because lots of visitors are info seekers

First, try to reduce the amount of visitors who are just infoseekers. This can be done through writing proper ad copies. Explain what your product is all about in the ad copy. If you want to be adventurous, put the price of the product within the ad copy. I would recommend running two ad copies for each adgroup.

You can also use negative keywords to reduce the number of information seekers. Once you manage to increase the conversion rates, you can afford to pay more per click.

>>> what do you recommend as the best way to test the impact raising the CPC will have on the total number of clicks?

I hope you have inserted the Google conversion tracking code - that's the first thing to do before you start fooling around with the bids.

If your ad position is something like 4.2 or 4.8, I would recommend increasing the bid prices all the way to $0.10 - $0.15 and check the results after a week. Getting into top 4 can do wonders to your conversion rate.

For other adgroups, increase the prices by a cent a day..

[da_clicks]

Everyone,

Thanks so much for your advice and input. We do use a conversion tracking tool. I think I will start by identifying those words in the 4+ positions and moving the max cpc up on these and monitor results.

Thanks again, I will share my experience for others.

I really appreciate all your input.